Tap and die devices

ABSTRACT

Tap and die devices are provided to repair internal and external threads, respectively. The tap and die devices are provided with components that coaxially align the tap and die to the nut or fitting being repaired. The tap and die devices are easily portable, compact tools that can be used in tight places.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/021,152, filed Feb. 4, 2011, which is expressly incorporated hereinby reference.

BACKGROUND

Many piping and plumbing process systems require that pipes, tubing, andfittings be attached by threaded fasteners. Screw threads on nuts or onfittings can be damaged in several ways. If the threads cannot berepaired, usually the nut, pipe, or tubing is discarded or has to bespliced. A problem with attempting to repair threads is the inability tomaintain the tap or die coaxially aligned with the nut or fitting beingrepaired. If the repair is performed with the tap or die at an angle,the screw threads will be misaligned and fittings being joined may notfunction properly. Compression fittings are commonplace. In acompression system, a nut with a hole in the center through which a tubepasses is used to connect the tube to a fitting. A ferrule, also with ahole in the center, is placed on the end of the tube and in front of thenut. When the nut is tightened against a fitting to connect the tube tothe fitting, the ferrule can be compressed against tube material, thusdeforming the tube and helping to create a seal. During the threadingprocess, the threads on the nut or the fitting may be damaged due to aninitial misalignment. A problem arises when repairing a captured nut ona tube because the tube renders the nut inaccessible.

Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a tap and die device that canrepair external and internal screw threads to avoid having to discard orsplice materials. It would further be advantageous to provide a tap anddie device that can coaxially align a workpiece needing to be repairedwith the tap or die. It would further be advantageous to repair a nutwhile captured on a tube.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features ofthe claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid indetermining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In a first embodiment, a tap device includes an elongated tap includinga shaft having external cutting threads on one end and a body having abore on one end within which the shaft rotates and a socket on theopposite end of the bore, wherein the center of the socket is coaxiallyaligned with the longitudinal center of axis of the shaft.

The tap device of the first embodiment can be provided wherein thesocket has a plurality of sides.

The tap device of the first embodiment can be provided wherein the shaftis hollow at least at the end having the cutting threads. This hollow orcavity allows the tap to reach the nut when the nut is captured on atube because the tube and ferrule can fit within the cavity.

The tap device of the first embodiment can be provided wherein the shaftis hollow at least at the end having the cutting threads and the hollowend includes a frustoconical bevel. This allows the tap to reach the nutwhen the nut is captured on a tube because the tube and a ferrule canfit within the hollow cavity. A hollow end of the tap can be shaped tomatch any type of tube nut and ferrule.

The tap device of the first embodiment can be provided wherein thesocket includes slots placed on opposite sides and a clip is placedwithin the slots.

The tap device of the first embodiment can be provided wherein the bodyhas an exterior shape with a plurality of planar sides, such as ahexagonal shape. This allows the body to be held with a typical handtool, such as a wrench, during the repair process.

The tap device of the first embodiment can be provided wherein the tapand body are approximately the same length. This provides a compactdevice and also allows the tap to reach at least to the slots made inthe socket while the head still projects outward of the body to allowturning the tap.

In a second embodiment, a method for repairing internal threads includesplacing a tap within a bore of a body having a socket located oppositefrom the bore, wherein the socket and bore are coaxially aligned. Themethod includes placing a nut within the socket and rotating the tap toengage cutting threads on the tap with threads on the nut to repair thethreads.

The method of the second embodiment may further include securing the nutin the socket to prevent the nut from exiting the socket.

The method of the second embodiment may further include engaging tubingpassing through the nut within a cavity provided on the end of the tap.

In a third embodiment, a die device includes a die including internalcutting threads on one end and a bore on the inside at an opposite endfrom the cutting threads, wherein the center of the bore is coaxiallyaligned with a center of a diameter of the cutting threads and a pilotincluding a shaft that fits within the bore, wherein the longitudinalcenter of axis of the pilot is coaxially aligned with the center of thediameter of the cutting threads.

The die device of the third embodiment can be provided wherein the dieincludes means for turning the die.

The die device of the third embodiment can be provided wherein the pilotincludes a boss placed a predetermined distance from one end of theshaft. The boss shape can be made to match any specific fitting suchthat the boss is placed against the fitting to help with aligning thepilot to the fitting.

The die device of the third embodiment can be provided wherein the pilotincludes a spindle in front of the boss. The spindle outer diameter canbe made to match any specific fitting such that the spindle is placedinside of the fitting to help with aligning the pilot to the fitting.

The die device of the third embodiment can be provided wherein the outerdiameter of the boss is smaller than a minor diameter of the cuttingthreads to allow the boss to fit within the die in the area of thecutting threads.

The die device of the third embodiment can be provided wherein the pilotincludes a frustoconical boss on the shaft wherein, when placed withinthe die, a base of the frustoconical boss faces in the direction of thebore in the die.

The die device of the third embodiment can be provided wherein the axiallength of the die is smaller than the length of the pilot.

In a fourth embodiment, a method for repairing external threads includesplacing a pilot on the inside of a fitting with external threads whereina portion of the pilot extends outward of the fitting, and thelongitudinal center of the pilot is coaxially aligned with a center of adiameter of the external threads of the fitting. The method includesengaging a die with the outward extending portion of the pilot, whereinthe longitudinal center of axis of the pilot is coaxially aligned with acenter of a bore of the die. In this way, the longitudinal center ofaxis of the die is coaxially aligned with the center of a diameter ofthe external threads of the fitting. The method includes turning the dieto advance the die on the threads of the fitting to repair the threads.

The method of the fourth embodiment may further include placing a bosson the pilot against a corresponding structure on the fitting tofacilitate coaxial alignment of the pilot to the fitting.

Disclosed herein is a tap and die device having a component that assistswith maintaining a workpiece, such as a nut or fitting, coaxiallyaligned with the tap and die device. In the tap device, the component isa body configured with a socket and bore to hold the workpiece and thetap both coaxially aligned with each other. The tap can be hollow atleast at one end to accept a tube and ferrule in the situation when thenut is captured on a tube. In the die device, the component is a pilotthat is configured to maintain the die coaxially aligned with theworkpiece. The pilot fits within a fitting to maintain the alignment.

The tap and die devices can be provided together as a set or a kit.Furthermore, the tap and die devices can be sized to match any standardor nonstandard screw thread size for compression type tube and pipingconnections. A plurality of different sized tap and die devices can becombined into a kit.

The tap and die devices can repair internal and external threads,respectively. The tap and die devices are provided with a component thatcoaxially aligns the tap and die to the nut or fitting being repaired.The tap and die devices are easily portable, compact tools that can beused in tight places. The tap and die devices are manually operated anddo not require the use of pneumatic nor electrically powered tools.Common manual tools can be used to operate the tap and die devices.

The tap and die devices can be used to repair pre-existing threads onnuts and other fittings that have been damaged. The tap and die devicescan be used on materials used in threaded systems, including metal,iron, steel, copper, brass, plastic, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of thisinvention will become more readily appreciated as the same become betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description, whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical illustration of a tap device in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view diagrammatical illustration of the tap deviceof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional illustration of a body of a tap device inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatical illustration of a body of a tap device inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatical cross-sectional illustration of a tap inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatical illustration of a die device in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view diagrammatical illustration of the die deviceof FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatical illustration of a die in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatical illustration of a pilot in accordance withone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatical illustration of the pilot of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatical cross-sectional illustration of the pilot ofFIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a tap device 100 is illustrated. The tap device 100may be used to repair internal screw threads, such as are present in anut 106. The nut 106 can be assembled on the tube 108 and captured by aferrule (not shown). However, the tap device 100 is not limited to usingonly on captured nuts. The tap device 100 can be used on loose nuts.However, the repair of threads on never-used, loose nuts is less common.The tap device 100 includes a tap 102 and a body 104. The body 104 canbe a structure with a hollow interior within which the tap 102 islocated. One end of the body 104 is provided with a bore within whichone end of the tap 102 rotates. The bore diameter can be closely matchedto the diameter of the tap 102 to provide little or no side-to-sidemovement to maintain coaxial alignment between the tap 102 and the body104. The tap 102 includes a shaft. At least the part of the shaft thatfits within the bore is cylindrical to allow rotation therein. Becausethe bore within which the tap 102 fits is only slightly larger than thediameter of the cylindrical portion of the tap 102, the tap 102 hasinsignificant lateral movement. On the end of the body 104 opposite tothe bore is a socket 134. Both the bore and socket have the same centerof axis and are coaxially aligned with one another. The socket 134 andthe bore are rigidly connected to each other. In one embodiment, thebody 104 can be a unitary piece of material and the bore and socket areformed from the single piece of material. In other embodiments, the boreand socket can be separate but connected rigidly to one another suchthat the center axis of the bore and the center axis of the socket arecoaxially aligned.

In one embodiment, the socket 134 can be hexagonal on the inside andoutside. However, while a hexagonal socket is illustrated, it can beappreciated that the socket can be any size or shape and possess anynumber of sides. The socket 134 may be provided in the shape or size tomatch any standard nut size and shape as well as any custom or irregularshape. Furthermore, the socket may include curved shapes or acombination of curved and straight sides to match irregular, custom, orspecialized nuts. The outside of the socket 134 may be shaped as ahexagon or otherwise to provide a way of holding the body 104 whilerepairing the threads. The body 104 may be held with a wrench, vise, orother tool.

The body 104 has a centerline defined as a line passing longitudinallythrough the center of the body 104 as well as through the bore andsocket. The tap 102 includes a centerline passing longitudinally throughthe center of the tap 102. The purpose of the bore is to keep thecenterline of the tap 102 aligned as closely as possible to thecenterline of the body 104. As a consequence, the centerline of the tap102 is also coaxially aligned and passes through the centerline of thesocket 134. The purpose for this will become apparent as furtherdescribed below.

One application of the tap device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is forrepairing threads that have been damaged or are otherwise in need ofrepair. The nut 106 includes internal or female threads, while a fittingmay include external or male threads. The threads of the nut 106 aredefined by a diameter and are centered with respect to the center boreof the nut 106. In one particular embodiment, the tap device 100 may beused to repair threads on a nut 106 as part of a tubing section 108. Forexample, nut 106 and tubing 108 can comprise parts of a compressionfitting system, wherein the nut 106 is captured on tubing 108 by aferrule (not shown). As is well known, compression fittings work bycompressing a frustoconically shaped ferrule (not shown) on the tubing108 against a fitting having a similar frustoconical shape on the insideof the fitting. Once the ferrule is placed on the frustoconically shapedfitting, the nut 106 is threaded onto the fitting (not shown) andtightened. The nut 106 can not be removed after tightening to a sealingcondition because the ferrule is tightly pressed to the tubing 108 andusually deforms the tubing.

As discussed above, the socket 134 of the body 104 is configured toaccept any standard or irregular nut, such as nut 106. The tolerancesbetween the interior socket dimensions and the exterior nut dimensionsare preferably kept as small as possible so that when placed in thesocket 134, the nut 106 center is coaxially aligned as closely aspossible with the center of the socket 134, which has the consequencethat the nut 106 is also coaxially aligned with the tap 102 in the body104. The body 104 maintains the tap 102 coaxially aligned on the centerof the nut 106 to produce accurate, straight threads during repairs.

The socket 134 may have a first and second slot 110 and 112 on oppositesides of the socket 134. In use, the nut 106, with or without the tubing108, may be placed inside the body 104 until the nut 106 extends deeperthan the slots 110 and 112. At that point, a clip 114 may be inserted inslots 110 and 112 to retain the nut 106 from being pushed out of thesocket 134. The tap 102 includes means to rotate the tap 102. Once thenut 106 is inside the socket 134, the tap 102 may be turned and advancedin the body 104 by using a rod 116 acting as a lever, or the tap 102 canbe fitted with a hexagonal head 118 that may be turned with a standardwrench. The body 104 may be held with a wrench, vise, or other tool.

Referring to FIG. 2, the tap device 100 comprising the tap 102 and body104 is illustrated. As can be seen clearly in FIG. 2, the body 104 has acylindrical bore 120 for the bore 120. The bore 120 diameter is slightlylarger than a diameter of the tap 102 to allow rotation therein withminimal lateral play. The centerline of the tap 102 is coaxially alignedwith the centerline of the body 104 and, as a consequence, with thecenterline of the socket 134. The tap 102 includes external cuttingthreads 122 on one end thereof. Cutting threads 122 may be of any designknown in the art. For example, cutting threads 122 may be of a commontype and include any number of flutes. As is well known, cutting threads122 can be defined by a major, minor, and pitch diameter, and anynumbers of flutes and lead angle. In one embodiment, the outside of thebody 104 may have a hexagonal shape, providing six sides along thelength of the body. However, the body 104 can be other shapes. Forexample, the outside of the body 104 may be cylindrical. However, theinterior of the body 104 may have a hexagon shape (or any other shape)for the socket 134 and a cylindrical shape for the bore 120. In oneembodiment, elongated openings 124 as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 may beprovided on the body 104 on one or two sides thereof. However, theopenings 124 are optional. The openings 124 may be provided on oppositesides of the body 104 to allow viewing the process of chasing thethreads. A hexagonally shaped body 104 provides the ability to hold thebody 104 with a standard wrench, vise, or other tool at both ends of thebody 104. However, the body 104 can have other shapes to assist withholding the body 104 when repairing threads.

Referring to FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of the tap 102 is shown. Inone embodiment, the tap 102 is hollow at the end containing the cuttingthreads 122, thereby forming a cavity 126 at the end. The cavity 126 mayhave a shape and diameter to match a shape and diameter of any standard(or nonstandard) tubing size to allow the front end of the tubing to fitwithin the cavity 126. Since the nut is also centered on the tubing, thetubing may further provide additional support to maintain the nutcoaxially aligned with the tap 102 as the tap 102 is advanced on thenut. The forward end of the cavity 126 includes a beveled orfrustoconical shape 128, wherein the base of the frustoconical shape 128is the forwardmost part. The frustoconical shape 128 can correspond tothe shape of a ferrule, such as, for example, the ferrules that are usedin well known compression fittings. Providing the cavity 126 and thefrustoconical shape 128 at the end of the tap 102 allows the tap 102 toadvance without hindrance to the bottom of the nut 106 when the nut 106being repaired is connected to tubing. It should be appreciated that theshape of the cavity can be made to match any fitting, compression orotherwise. The frustoconical shape mentioned is to illustrate oneembodiment of the tap 102.

The tap device 100 can be provided wherein the tap 102 and body 104 areapproximately the same length. This provides a compact device and alsoallows the tap 102 to reach at least to the slots 110 and 112 made inthe socket 134, while the head 118 still projects outward of the body104 to allow turning.

On the end opposite to the cutting threads 122, the tap 102 includes ahead 118. The head 118 projects outside of the body 104, as seen in FIG.1, even when the tap 102 is advanced to the bottom of the socket 134.The head 118 may be shaped as a hexagon to allow the use of standardwrenches to rotate the tap 102. Alternatively, or additionally, the head118 may also include a hole 132 to allow a rod 116 to be used as a leverto turn the tap 102. The tap 102 is manually driven by hand and does notrequire the use of powered tools.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a die device is illustrated for repairingexternal or male threads. The die device includes a die 200 and a pilot202.

As shown in FIG. 7, the majority of the length of the pilot 202 can becylindrical in shape. The pilot 202 includes a boss 204 that is rigidlyaffixed to a position along the length of the pilot 202. The boss 204may be shaped to correspond to standard or irregular tubing and/orpiping components. For example, the boss 204 can have a frustoconicalshape similar to the ferrules used in compression fittings. In theillustrated embodiment, the frustoconical shaped boss 204 has a basethat faces the die 200. In compression fittings, such as the oneillustrated in FIG. 7, the end of fitting 208 is provided with a borehaving a beveled edge 210 that is frustoconical in shape. The fitting208 has external threads that can be repaired using the disclosed diedevice. The threads on the fitting 208 are defined by a diameter and arecentered with respect to a bore within the fitting 208. The bore canterminate at the beveled frustoconical edge 210.

The pilot 202 may include a spindle 212 in front of the boss 204. Thespindle 212 may be sized to fit within the bore in fitting 208, and theboss 204 is sized to fit against the beveled edge 210 of the fitting208. The outer dimension of the spindle 212 is matched closely to theinner diameter of the fitting 208. When the spindle 212 is inserted inthe fitting 208 and the boss 204 is placed against the beveled edge 210,this will provide for coaxially aligning the center of the fitting 208threads to the longitudinal centerline of the pilot 202. Fitting 208 mayinclude components such as valves, for example.

The die 200 fits over the pilot 202 as seen in FIG. 6. The die 200includes interior cutting threads 222 and an interior bore that isclosely dimensioned to a diameter of the pilot 202. The purpose of thebore is to allow the centerline of the die 200 to remain coaxiallyaligned to the centerline of the pilot 202 with high precision as thedie advances forward. Consequently, because the centerline of the pilot202 is aligned with the centerline of the fitting 208, the centerline ofthe die 200 will also be aligned with the centerline of the fitting 208.Thus, the die 200 becomes coaxially aligned with the fitting 208threads. Furthermore, as the die 200 is turned and advances, the pilot202 assists in maintaining the die 200 straight to avoid cutting threadsat an angle. The interior cutting threads 222 can be of a conventionalor well-known design to repair exterior threads. The fitting 208 can beheld with a standard wrench, in a vise, or is otherwise rigidly heldduring the repair of the fitting.

At the end opposite to the spindle 212, the pilot 202 is provided with ahead 216. Optionally, the head 216 may be a hexagon shape and/or thehead 216 may include a hole therein.

Referring to FIG. 8, an illustration of the die 200 is shown. The die200 is a hollow structure that may be formed from a single piece ofmaterial. The end 212 includes cutting threads 222 on the interior. Asis well known, cutting threads 222 can be defined by a major, minor, andpitch diameter, and any number of flutes and lead angle. The end 214includes a bore 210 on the interior and the exterior can be providedwith means used to apply torque to turn the die 200. The center of thebore 210 is coaxially aligned with the center of the pitch diameter thatdefines the cutting threads 222. The die 200 fits over the pilot 202such that the pilot 202 fits within the bore 210. The die 200 canadvance on the pilot 202 up to the point when the base of boss 204contacts the bore 210. A lip cap be formed where the diameter of thebore 210 expands to the diameter of the cutting threads 222. Thediameter of the boss 204 is smaller than the diameter of the minordiameter of the cutting threads 222 to allow the boss 204 to fit withinthe area of the cutting threads 222. Furthermore, the length of the areaof the cutting threads 222 is long enough so that the die will advancefar enough to repair the length of the threads needing repair.

In one embodiment, the end 214 used to turn the die 200 may have ahexagon shape that fits standard wrench sizes. However, the end 214 canalso be square or a polygon with any number of sides. The die 200 can beturned with a standard wrench, for example, by hand without poweredtools. When turning the die 200, the fitting 208 can be held with awrench, vise, or otherwise held rigidly.

Referring to FIGS. 9-11, another embodiment of a pilot 302 isillustrated. The pilot 302 is used to repair the threads of a JIC (JointIndustry Council) fitting 308, for example. The JIC fitting 308 has areversed taper 310 on the front end. The pilot 302 includes an elongatedshank with a boss 306 placed in proximity to one end thereof. Thediameter of the boss 306 is greater than the diameter of the shank. Theboss 306 can include an inner taper 304 matching the taper 310 of thefitting 308. The undercut taper 304 extends around the circumference ofthe inside of the boss 306. FIG. 11 more clearly shows the taper 304 onthe inside surface of the boss 306. To repair the threads of the fitting308, the fitting is slid within the forward end of the pilot 302, sothat the taper 310 comes to rest within the boss 306 so that theundercut taper 304 makes contact with the taper 310. The boss 306 has anouter diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter of the fittingthreads to allow the die 200 to slide past the boss 306 to be engagedwith the threads without interference from the boss 306. The pilot 302can include a hole 316 to allow a handle to prevent rotation.

While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, itwill be appreciated that various changes can be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A tap device,comprising: an elongated tap including a shaft having external cuttingthreads on one end; and a body having a bore within which the shaftrotates and a socket opposite from the bore, wherein the center of thesocket is coaxially aligned with the longitudinal center of axis of theshaft.
 2. The tap device of claim 1, wherein the socket has a pluralityof sides.
 3. The tap device of claim 1, wherein the shaft is hollow atleast at the end having the cutting threads.
 4. The tap device of claim1, wherein the shaft is hollow at least at the end having the cuttingthreads, and the hollow end includes a frustoconical bevel.
 5. The tapdevice of claim 1, wherein the socket includes slots placed on oppositesides, and a clip is placed within the slots.
 6. The tap device of claim1, wherein the tap and the body are approximately the same length.
 7. Amethod for repairing internal threads, comprising: placing a tap withina bore of a body having a socket located opposite from the bore, whereinthe socket and tap are coaxially aligned; placing a nut within thesocket; and rotating the tap to engage cutting threads on the tap withthreads on the nut.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprisingsecuring the nut in the socket to prevent the nut from exiting thesocket.
 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising engaging tubingpassing through the nut within a cavity provided on the end of the tap.10. A die device, comprising: a die including internal cutting threadson one end and a bore on the inside at an opposite end from the cuttingthreads, wherein the center of the bore is coaxially aligned with acenter of a diameter of the cutting threads; and a pilot including ashaft that fits within the bore, wherein the longitudinal center of axisof the pilot is coaxially aligned with the center of the diameter of thecutting threads.
 11. The die device of claim 10, wherein the dieincludes means for turning the die.
 12. The die device of claim 10,wherein the pilot includes a boss placed a predetermined distance fromone end of the shaft.
 13. The die device of claim 10, wherein the pilotincludes a spindle in front of the boss.
 14. The die device of claim 13,wherein the diameter of the boss is smaller than a minor diameter of thecutting threads to allow the boss to fit within the die in the area ofthe cutting threads.
 15. The die device of claim 10, wherein the pilotincludes a frustoconical boss on the shaft wherein a base of thefrustoconical boss faces the bore.
 16. The die device of claim 10,wherein a length of the die is smaller than a length of the pilot.
 17. Amethod for repairing external threads, comprising: placing a pilot onthe inside of a fitting with external threads, wherein a portion of thepilot extends outward of the fitting, and the longitudinal center of thepilot is coaxially aligned with a center of a diameter of the externalthreads of the fitting; engaging a die with the outward extendingportion of the pilot, wherein the longitudinal center of axis of thepilot is coaxially aligned with a center of a bore of the die, and thelongitudinal center of axis of the die is coaxially aligned with thecenter of the diameter of the external threads of the fitting; andturning the die to advance the die on the threads of the fitting. 18.The method of claim 17, further comprising placing a boss on the pilotagainst a corresponding structure on the fitting to facilitate coaxialalignment of the pilot to the fitting.